Co3O4@chitosan/La2O3 nanocomposites as innovative, powerful, and recyclable nanocatalysts for sonochemical treatment of benzyl alcohols to obtain the corresponding benzaldehyde derivatives

Abstract

Ultrasonic (US) irradiation (100 W, 40 kHz) reactions, used as a safe and green technique, are often more efficient than traditional protocols. This leads us to introduce, for the first time, an efficient nanocatalyst and immobilization of La₂O₃ nanoparticles on Co₃O₄ nanoparticles for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to the corresponding benzaldehyde at room temperature. The structural and morphological characteristics of the nanocatalysts were determined by FT-IR, XRD, FE-SEM, EDX, and VSM. The catalytic performance of the Co₃O₄@Cs/La₂O₃ composites used as heterogeneous nanocatalysts was investigated in the selective oxidation of benzylic alcohols to their corresponding benzaldehydes. Also, the performance of the oxidation parameters, including H₂O₂ concentration, time, effect of various solvents, and nanocatalyst dosage was checked. Significant benefits of this method can be named by using a non-toxic solvent, easy product isolation, excellent recoverability, low time of reaction, high yield, and ultrasound irradiation. Finally, a possible mechanism was proposed to show the nanocatalytic process.